Rescued Jacksonville manatee released into the wild

Remember our manatee, Venetia? Well she was released into the wild Tuesday!

Venetia, as she was named by some kids who had gathered in the Ortega area of Jacksonville in November to watch her rescue, has made a full recovery! The manatee, if you recall, was rescued from a storm drain while thousands watched online and many gathered in the streets hopeful for her safe retrieval.

Eyes watched as workers dug a hole, cut into a storm drain pipe, and squeezed her threw the pipes until she was safe on a stretcher and transported.

She was taken to SeaWorld to recover from some minor scrapes and bruises. Venetia has since made a complete recovery and was released back out to the wild! She is free to swim and hopefully not sneak into any narrow storm drains!

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission members, as well as staff from SeaWorld and the Jacksonville Zoo helped release Venetia back into the wild. She was released at Blue Springs State Park on Tuesday.

She was transported from SeaWorld Orlando in a stretcher.

Nadia Gordon, FWC marine mammal biologist, has been keeping a close eye on her and says Venetia was eager to be back into the water.